Resident Evil 6

Undone by its ambitious attempt to pack four game experiences into one, Resident Evil 6 suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. At times it very much embraces its old school heritage, pitting its heroes against horrific creatures in the darkest, filthiest locales imaginable. Tension is palpable thanks to production values that reach new heights for the franchise. Yet it simultaneously attempts to be the largest, most action-packed entry in its history, betraying the aforementioned strengths. Lengthy firefights, driving sequences and other ill-conceived ideas grind the game’s incredible moments to a halt. The result is something erratic and never sure of itself, delivering brilliance one moment and something far less interesting the next.
At the heart of Resident Evil 6 are the game’s four campaigns and seven lead characters. Rather than weaving these characters and stories along a singular campaign, Capcom diffuses them across four individual threads, each with its own beginning and end. This singular choice defines everything about this game, highlighting both its greatest accomplishments and remarkable shortcomings.

Resident Evil 6’s over-the-top world is built piece-by-piece through its four storylines, which cleverly integrate with each other. Questions aren’t necessarily answered until the entire plot emerges through different perspectives, and the realization that the game’s designers deliberately held something back to unleash it during a later campaign makes the effort of pushing through four individual campaigns worth it. It’s remarkable to enter a scene, realize its place in the larger timeline, and get a payoff for something that was merely hinted at during an entirely different character arc. There’s a cumulative narrative effect that occurs here, one that wouldn’t be possible if Capcom chose a different path.

Every storyline in this game, through a combination of great environments, great enemies and a carefully cultivated sense of wide-eyed, B-movie horror, has situations so memorable that they’ll be seared into your brain. It’s hard to forget the first time you’re crushed by the relentless, beastly Ustanak, or watch a creature spew out C-virus gas in a crowded area, turning dozens of trapped human survivors into flesh-eating zombies. These moments come frequently, often serving as vivid, gory reminders of the game’s tense storytelling prowess.
Yet the layered narrative sometimes works against the gameplay. As the campaigns cross paths, the game forces players to replay sequences – including some lengthy encounters that really ought to be played once and only once. There is nothing gained from this repetition, as the only story revelations come from cutscenes and dialogue – not in-game action. A game that thrives on the stacked benefit of multiple perspectives manages to forget how that negatively impacts the actual experience of playing through encounters repeatedly.

That notion of repetition shines light on the most basic element of Resident Evil 6’s biggest shortcomings – it’s actually too big. Each campaign in this game contains moments of sheer excellence, but these are dragged down by the poor design of others. Chris’s spectacular confrontation with a massive snake in a shabby Chinese apartment is preceded and interrupted by lengthy, monotonous gunfights on rooftops and a rather uninteresting fight against a helicopter. Jake and Sherry escape and engage threats by riding motorcycles and snow mobiles, making their thrilling, futile attempts to stop the Nemesis-like Ustanak significantly less rewarding. This mix of highs and lows is not only confusing, it’s downright frustrating.

Early on, different types of gameplay and tones of horror are established for each campaign. When the game’s design works within these core competencies, it is absolutely a great experience. The elimination of Chris’s team by an overwhelming, reptilian threat. Jake and Sherry repeatedly fleeing from the Ustanak. Leon and Helena surviving the ravaged Tall Oaks or uncovering the twisted secrets of an underground laboratory. Ada attempting to solve elaborate, convoluted puzzles in the belly of a submarine. These experiences stand apart from each other while remaining true to the beating heart of the Resident Evil franchise in their own unique way.
Capcom would have done itself a world of good by simply understanding these individual storylines do not exist in a vacuum and don’t need to be the same in terms of volume or length. Rather than trying to force diversity into each campaign through blatantly protracted action sequences, the development teams should have understood the campaigns feel freshest if they maintain a sense of purpose. This is not the first title in the franchise to attempt “non-traditional experiences,” like taking the helm of a vehicle, but by virtue of its scope, it becomes the most excessive offender.

Over the past 15 years, Resident Evil has created its fear through one central tenant – you have guns and possibly allies, but the creatures you face are so powerful that none of these odd-eveners matter. The mutant and militant J’avo creatures more or less throw that out the window. Suddenly you’re engaging in firefights with soldiers that have machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket launchers – plus helicopters and tanks. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen some of these in a Resident Evil game, but it’s never been so pervasive. The implementation of a cover system and move-and-shoot controls add to this overall shift for the franchise, making it less about its core principles and more about trying to be something it’s not.

The game does offer vast improvements in terms of cooperative experience – online or off. Resident Evil 5 was notorious for its vacuous AI partner system. This time, your ally will actually be useful, assisting you when necessary and not taking your resources. That’s not to say the system is perfect. It’s not uncommon for you to issue an order only to have it ignored, or to stand waiting at a door for what feels like an eternity while your partner is seemingly missing in action. Playing with a friend, who can now drop in and out of your game at any time, will solve some of this, but once again exposes the weaknesses of Capcom’s buddy-focused direction for the Resident Evil franchise. Tense or terrifying moments give way to a feeling of safety with the added company. It’s hard to worry about a threat when your buddy is just around the corner to save you.
Other online additions feel superficial, particularly compared to the vast scope of the core campaign. Mercenaries Mode returns, allowing ‘skill points’ earned in its time- and score-based gameplay to be applied to its own unique upgrades, or to the core campaign’s. Tying the two experiences together will certainly provide some incentive to some. Agent Hunt Mode, meanwhile, allows you to take on the role of an enemy in a random online player’s game, but the implementation of enemy combat and camera control is so haphazard there’s little point in indulging.

Some of Capcom’s greatest successes are more immediately noticeable thanks to some incredibly strong world, lighting, and creature design. Outside of the return of the franchise’s iconic zombies, which are a bit faster and more capable than in past iterations, Resident Evil 6 features an all-new roster of monsters. This was a bold move, one that adds a much-needed element of unpredictability to the campaigns. In fact, some of these creations – like the zombie-spawning Lepotitsa, or relentless Rasklapanje – rank among some of the best designs and concepts in the history of the franchise – no small feat for a series famous for the quality of its enemies.
Atmosphere is the essence of the Resident Evil series. A powerful environment, full of detail and depth, pulls you in, creating a sense of history and life while also amplifying the emotional reaction. There’s a reason settings like the Spencer Mansion from the first Resident Evil or Rapture from Bioshock prove so memorable. Those games wouldn’t be nearly as powerful without those locales. In fact much of their experience relies upon them. Resident Evil 6 has no shortage of these types of great set pieces, ranging from cities under siege to dark, vast catacombs to cramped, cluttered high-rises.
These aesthetics mostly succeed thanks to an emphasis on strong lighting effects. Serving as a stark contrast to Resident Evil 5’s sun-soaked locales, this sequel often opts for much darker scenery, pushing the overall visual fidelity through an increased emphasis on shadows and moody illumination. The result is an experience that has an immediate impact on the player, but the increased lighting design does have some unfortunate consequences. Background objects, textures and NPCs often take a noticeable dip in quality, sometimes to the point of distraction. Yet as a whole, Resident Evil has rarely felt so alive.

Evolution and ambition are only natural for a franchise as old as Resident Evil, as is the need to respect a long-lasting legacy and the fans that have come to appreciate it. But in trying to serve all masters, Resident Evil 6 loses focus and fails to accurately assess which of its elements are truly worthy of being included. When this game is at its height, it sets new standards for the series in every way. Unfortunately, there are no shortage of lows either, taking what could have been an excellent experience and making it something considerably lesser.